I dropped in to the Serpentine Gallery last night for a charity auction event in support of the Kids Company Charity. A veritable who’s who of top contemporary artists were all persuaded to each donate a drawing representing a particular letter of the alphabet (the full list is below).

Grayson Perry produced a plethora of ‘P’ objects in a typically witty sketch, Harland Miller a wicked Devil cartoon, Tracey Emin lazily scribbled a cat (representing A for Animal – what?) Jake and Dinos Chapman went wild with O’s – in a design that also featured on hostesses dresses – and Keith Tyson‘s neatly drawn treasure map featured a prominent X (of course!)

Paula Rego‘s excellent contribution was a dark, contorted monkey whilst my money would have gone on bidding for a colourful Gillian Ayres or a great work from Joseph Kosuth – a ‘G’ with another ‘G’ in a thought bubble.

The end result was The Artists Colouring Book of ABC’sa fun book for adults and for children to approach the alphabet through an exciting interplay with art. Each original work was auctioned either by Sotheby’s guest auctioneer Henry Wyndham or offered in a silent sealed auction.

Hopefully the end result was a success for the charity although the rent-a-crowd (from the event planners who very kindly donated their time) to me seemed to consist of rather more B list wannabes out for a party than art collectors?

The book would make a great Christmas gift for parents who want to display their arty credentials amongst fellow parents or a cool adults gift, especially in the £250 boxed limited edition version that includes a Chapman Brothers editioned print!

Artists
A is for Tracey Emin
B is for Fiona Banner
C is for Alex Katz
D is for Harland Miller
E is for Chantal Joffe
F is for Gillian Ayres
G is for Joseph Kosuth
H is for Betty Woodman
I is for Gary Hume
J is for Pietro Ruffo
K is for Cathie Pilkington
L is for Mat Collishaw
M is for Paula Rego
N is for Keith Coventry
O is for Jake & Dinos Chapman
P is for Grayson Perry
Q is for Bob & Roberta Smith
R is for Gavin Turk
S is for Rachel Howard
T is for Polly Morgan
U is for Georgie Hopton
V is for Maggi Hambling
W is for Paul Fryer
X is for Keith Tyson
Y is for Yinka Shonibare
Z is for Marc Quinn

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August is a sleepy time in the London art world. With summer holidays in full swing many commercial galleries take the opportunity to take a break themselves by closing or perhaps letting a show run longer than usual. Others ready themselves for the Autumn season and the frenzy around the Frieze – and other – art fairs. The public galleries fend off the kids and and have ‘family’ events, the blockbuster shows have all busted their blocks – opening long ago – or are coming in the Autumn too.

It is a great relief therefore to find that the Roundhouse has just opened it’s latest event. Supported by Bloomberg (glad the bankers money is going somewhere useful!) Ron Arad has been invited to create a work in this former railway building, dating back to 1846 and originally used as a steam engine repair shed, and later famously a theatre and 1960’s concert venue.

How I wish I’d been there to see Hendrix play, but my last visit was for another musician – David Byrne – who created the excellent ‘Playing the Building‘. In a similar way Arad has created another interactive work creating a curtain of long transluscent silicon ropes. Oscillating as people walk through it it also acts as a backdrop for other invited artists invited by Arad to create projected works.

Arad has made an excellent and eclectic selection too: David Shrigley – as usual part-humourous, part disturbing – presents Walker, Christian Marclay projects a ring of piano keys played by giant hands, Ori Gersht shows crowds at a bullfight and Mat Collishaw features a gorgeous but poisoned tropical landscape. There are half a dozen more, all excellent in their own way.

Enjoy the architecture, the space, the experience and the films. An excellent way to spend a lazy day and well worth a trip.

The Roundhouse until 29 August 2011. Entry is on a ‘pay what you feel’ basis.